Dhyan Chand

Dhyan Chand could quite merely be the simplest player within the history of the sport.

Nicknamed the wizard, Dhyan Chand’s skills with a ball at the top of his stick was second to none and his talent of stepping into marking positions meant that he scored many goals, together with hat-tricks in 2 Olympic finals.

First detected on the world stage throughout India’s initial international tour in 1926 (to New Zealand), Dhyan Chand created his Olympic debut with the Indian team in 1928 and scored fourteen goals on the way winning the decoration.

Dhyan Chand would persist to win 2 a lot of gold medals in consecutive Olympic Games at l.  a.   1932 and Berlin 1936, the latter as captain, to complete a hat-trick of Olympic golds associated retire with an unvanquished Olympic record to his name.

Balbir Singh Sr.

When the Olympic Games came in 1948 once being suspended for 2 editions in 1940 and 1944 thanks to warfare II, Indian hockey was finding out its next adept to require them forward.

Enter Balbir Singh Dosanjh.

Better referred to as Balbir Singh Sr, he's wide acknowledged united of the simplest centre-forwards in hockey history. He overcame internal politics to get eight goals in 2 matches to bring home the Olympic hockey gold yet again in 1948.

Balbir Singh Sr. would persist to become India’s most integral player within the following years as he crystal rectifier the team to a second hat-trick of Olympic golds, marking 5 goals within the 1952 final, a record that stands to the present day. He was awarded the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian honour in 1957.

After his taking part in career, Balbir Singh Sr. additionally served as head coach and manager of the Indian team and was at the helm once India won their solely men’s Hockey World Cup title in 1975.

The legend battled exhausting with malady before kicking of the bucket in could 2020 at the age of ninety six however had left behind an enduring bequest.

Mohammad Shahid

An unannounced name within the history of Indian hockey, Muhammad Shahid was same to be one among the foremost skillful hockey players ever to emerge from the country.

Making his debut for the Indian hockey junior team in 1979, Shahid affected enough to be enclosed within the Olympic Games squad for 1980 and was quickly recognised because the lynchpin of the team.

An offensive jock, Shahid fashioned a deadly partnership with Zafar Iqbal direct for the Indian team and galvanized India to their eighth and final Olympic decoration thus far at Moscow 1980. it had been additionally India’s last Olympic medallion in hockey.

Mohammad Shahid’s ability and importance to the team was hailed by 1980-Olympic gold winning captain Vasudevan Baskaran*.* The boy from Varanasi continued  to print his name united of the best hockey players in India within the returning decade, highlighted by associate Asian Games bronze in 1986.

Shahid retired in 1989 and succumbed to a liver ill in 2016.

Dhanraj Pillay

A name substitutable with Indian hockey, Dhanraj Pillay was among the last massive superstars.

Making his debut for the Indian team in 1989, Pillay picked up the baton of best player from forerunner Muhammad Shahid within the next few years.

Pillay, famed for his burst of pace that left defenders in his wake and combined along with his ability to select the right pass, became one among the simplest attackers in international hockey within the Nineties. He was honored with the Arjuna Award, that recognises performance in sports, in 1995